DailyLit Launches Paid Titles

DailyLit has an
interesting take on the ebook puzzle that no one's been able to
solveyet:
Digital books seem like a good idea, but past efforts
have been expensive, clumsy and less useful than good old paper
and ink.

The Mamaroneck-based company's answer: Don't make
consumers pay for a dedicated device -- instead send it to them,
in chunks, via email. The company, launched by the husband and
wife team of Albert Wenger and Susan Danziger this spring,
started with free public domain titles like Pride and Prejudice.
Today it's launching paid titles, which it's selling for $5 to
$10 a book.

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Albert tells us that DailyLit has 30 paid titles from a handful
of publishers, but none of the big publishers so far. But it's a
model that should entice the big guys as well: DailyLit typically
splits retail revenue 50/50 with the publishers, which means
publishers can make more than they do via traditional retailers.
And there should be little fear of channel conflict: While
getting bite-sized portions of books can be convenient for
commuters and travelers, who can click through them on
Blackberries and iPhones, it's unlikely to cut into the sales of
traditional books.

Albert is a
"Venture Partner" at Union Square Ventures and has invested
in del.icio.us, Etsy and Clickable; Susan is a Random House
veteran. We've tried the product and found it useful, with a few
caveats -- getting the daily installments to load on our
BlackBerry before we hop on the subway is more challenging than
it should be, for instance. It's a business worth keeping eye on.
Release